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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · wake · scale · shower · net · toast · mug · content

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. content — happy
  3. toast — bread
  4. net — in sport
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. net — for catching
  9. wake — a trail
  10. content — the amount
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. shower — to wash
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. net — after costs
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mug — a face
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mug — a cup
  23. shower — rain
  24. toast — the most admired

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com